The severed arm on the workbench was still twitching.
Despite being detached from its body for at least two hours, the dark red muscle fibers maintained an incredibly high level of vitality. The nerve cords at the severed end groped through the air as if they possessed a life of their own.
Andy sat in his chair, the data streams in his electronic eyes having finally stopped scrolling.
The STC database contained a wealth of information regarding the alien species known as the "Lethans."
They were a highly fascinating organism.
Unlike the Tyranids, they lacked that uniform, terrifying gestalt hive mind. Yet, despite possessing a psychic talent far superior to humans, their evolutionary path ultimately veered into the realm of pure biological engineering.
The reason remained unknown—the database noted "incomprehensible," but Andy couldn't help but feel there was a story behind it.
Lethan society was strictly hierarchical, and their territorial instincts were absurdly intense.
As long as an area was marked as their "nest," even a passing cockroach would take a hit from them.
The most critical aspect, however, was their technology tree.
They had entirely abandoned metallurgy and mechanical manufacturing; all of their tools, weapons, and armor were developed purely from biomass.
Take the scythe that Jayden had brought back, for example.
Andy reached out and tapped the dark red blade.
Clink—
The sound was crisp, indicating extreme hardness.
It looked like some sort of bone, but it was actually a high-density crystalline form of biological chitin. The internal structure resembled piezoelectric ceramics, capable of generating high-frequency vibrations when swung, allowing it to easily slice through metal armor.
Seeing this, a lingering doubt in Andy's mind was finally resolved.
Previously, he had been wondering why the local natives of Zhais refused to settle in a place like Castle Horizon. It had solid foundations, a readily available energy source, and plenty of houses that hadn't completely collapsed.
Why would they choose to cram themselves into soot-choked, noisy landships rather than live in spacious, grand houses?
No one had even dared to build a temporary outpost here!
Now, it all made perfect sense.
The smooth, clean cuts that Magos Sol had observed earlier in the ruins—which looked neither weathered nor caused by explosions—were likely the handiwork of the Lethans.
It was easy to imagine that over the past few centuries, plenty of reckless greenhorns and desperate survivors had attempted to claim this place.
They moved in, thinking they had stumbled upon a massive bargain.
Then, night fell.
Manhole covers underground slid open; cracks in the corners of walls split wide.
A pack of invisible, intangible monsters—completely devoid of even the sound of footsteps—crept into their base with scythes in hand and slaughtered them all.
"My cabinet moved!"
The next morning, the location would revert back to an empty city, leaving behind nothing but shredded meat and smooth incisions.
To the technologically ignorant natives, this was a curse, a haunting, the land itself devouring people.
Over time, it became a forbidden zone—a dead land that people would bypass even when they just saw it on a map.
"Tsk, so that's how it is."
Andy leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the desktop. "No wonder Deep Space Industries hasn't seen a single soul coming to collect protection money despite us being here for so many days.
"Turns out, in the eyes of the locals, we're already dead men."
It had to be said that these Lethans were indeed highly troublesome opponents.
Living deep underground, they possessed exceptional stealth and mobility, and the biological cloaking ability of the adults was practically a cheat code.
Without deploying large-scale thermal imaging or sonar arrays, detecting their tracks was incredibly difficult.
Faced with a bizarre threat like this, any ordinary faction—even the Imperial Guard—would find themselves plagued by a massive headache.
But Andy wasn't panicked in the slightest.
Because within the STC database, a specific line of text was highlighted in bold:
[EXTREME AVERSION TO STELLAR RADIATION.]
The description was admittedly vague, offering no explanation of the specific biochemical mechanisms involved.
However, combining this with the scan data from moments ago, Andy quickly deduced the conclusion.
The skin and muscle tissue of the Lethans suffered from a severe allergic reaction to specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light and cosmic rays.
This wasn't just an allergy on the level of a "sunburn" or "peeling skin."
Rather, the moment they were exposed to sunlight, their cellular structure would rapidly collapse, akin to throwing an ice cream cone into a furnace.
That was why they could only hide underground and operate strictly deep within the pitch-black ruins.
They died upon hitting the light.
"Well, that makes things easy."
Andy's electronic eyes lit up.
For the natives, there was only one sun, and it vanished at night.
Hence, their fear.
But for Andy, who commanded the technology of the Dark Age of Technology, wasn't manufacturing a "sun" an incredibly simple task?
Since they feared radiation and ultraviolet light, he would just fashion some artificial suns for them to play with.
Andy had already mapped out a defensive scheme in his mind.
It didn't require any profound, esoteric black tech; installing high-powered UV searchlights in every corner of the base would likely do the trick.
And if that wasn't enough—
Andy wasn't incapable of building full-spectrum radiation generators, though he felt it was largely unnecessary for now.
He'd start with the searchlights and make do with those!
Regardless, the moment any Lethan dared to show its face, he would treat them to a direct, refreshing "sunbath."
"You'll both be credited with a merit for this. Two hundred contribution points each."
Andy waved his hand, dismissing Jayden and Korber, who were still lingering at the doorway waiting for praise.
"Go on, hurry up and get your gear repaired. Especially you, Korber—your power armor took some damage. Go find Bauer and get it patched up."
"Yes, Boss!"
The two saluted and ran off, thoroughly delighted.
Contribution points were hard currency within Deep Space Industries. They could be exchanged for delicious food or upgraded equipment components.
Two hundred points were more than enough for them to live comfortably for a long time.
Having dismissed his subordinates, Andy refocused his attention on the biological scythe.
He stood up and lifted the dark red scythe, which measured a full two meters in length, with a single hand.
Despite being made of biomass, it was by no means light, weighing at least a hundred kilograms.
Carrying it, Andy walked out of the workshop and headed straight for the Eastern Sector.
A massive black circular platform stood quietly in the center of the hall, its surroundings connected to the newly installed Geller Field generators.
Andy tossed the scythe onto the platform.
Hum—
The analysis station activated.
Black nanofluid surged from the surface of the platform, instantly enveloping the grotesque weapon.
It did not dissolve immediately as past items had.
This time, the nanobots seemed to encounter a degree of resistance.
The bio-electric field on the surface of the scythe resisted disintegration, emitting a faint, sizzling hiss.
But it was a futile effort.
In the face of the reverse-engineering technology from the Golden Age, all alien creations were mere child's play.
A few minutes later, the scythe vanished.
The holographic interface began to frantically refresh with streams of data.
[Sample Analysis Complete.]
[Material Composition: High-Density Biological Piezoelectric Crystals, Biological Stealth Skin.]
[Characteristics: High-Frequency Vibration, Molecular-Level Cutting, Bio-Electric Conduction, Ultra-Performance Cloaking—]
Andy was intensely curious.
Previously, analyzing the Eldar Wraithbone had yielded neural bundles and Webway energy conduits.
Analyzing the Jokaero digital weapon had granted him an integrated power module.
So, what could this weapon, obtained from a melee-specialized Lethan, bring him this time?
The progress bar reached its end.
Several new, convertible technological projects popped up within the data stream.
[Convertible Technology Path 1: High-Frequency Vibrating Particle Module.]
[Convertible Technology Path 2: Ultra-Performance Cloaking Module.]